Creighton (7-3 straight up, 3-6-1 against the spread) was dealt a crushing blow Saturday when head coach Greg McDermott announced that guard Pop Isaacs will miss the rest of the season and undergo hip surgery.
The announcement came just three days after Isaacs sparked the Bluejays to a 76-63 win over top-ranked Kansas as a four-point home underdog. The Texas Tech transfer was brilliant against the Jayhawks, draining 10-of-15 field-goal attempts and 6-of-9 launches from 3-point land in a 27-point effort.
Isaacs added seven rebounds and four assists vs. KU. Ryan Kalkbrenner posted a double-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, one block, one steal, one assist and zero turnovers. Steven Ashworth contributed 17 points, eight boards and six assists.
Isaacs, a 6-foot-2 native of Las Vegas, had hip surgery last spring and missed Creighton’s season opener due to the hip issue. In eight games this year, he averaged 16.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Isaacs made 41.0 percent of his FGAs, 38.3 percent of his treys and 86.2 percent of his free throws.
Before scoring 27 points vs. KU, Isaacs had a pair of 25-point efforts in losses to Nebraska and Texas A&M.
Without Isaacs on Saturday, Creighton beat up on UNLV 83-65 as a 10-point home favorite. The 148 combined points went ‘over’ the 145.5-point total. The ‘over’ has cashed in three of the last four games for the Bluejays, but the ‘under’ is still 6-4 overall.
Jamiya Neal led the way against the Runnin’ Rebels, producing 19 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, four blocked shots and one steal. The Arizona St. transfer guard hit 7-of-10 FGAs and 5-of-6 free throws.
Ashworth added 17 points and seven assists, while Isaac Traudt finished with 15 points and five boards on 5-of-7 marksmanship from downtown. Kalkbrenner had 12 points and six rebounds.
Creighton returns to the court Saturday to take on Alabama at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. The Bluejays, who are ranked #41 at KenPom, finish their non-conference schedule with games at North Dakota, vs. Kent St. and vs. South Dakota St.
FanDuel has Creighton with 65/1 odds to win the national title.